Senators want Pakistan counterattacked

KABUL (Pajhwok): Meshrano Jirga members on Sunday once again insisted the government should give a firm response to Pakistani attacks and should not stay silent and instead retaliate.

The periodic attacks involving artillery, rockets and missiles from Pakistan have been taking place over the past three years, hitting eastern provinces, especially Kunar.

A day earlier, two Pakistani helicopter gunships crossed into Kunar, killing five civilians and damaging homes in the Dangam district.

Rafiullah Haideri, who represents Kunar in the upper house, told the general session that five people had been killed, 28 others wounded and nearly 300 families forced to leave homes as a result of yesterday’s Pakistani airstrike.

“This war is only against the people of Kunar. Pakistan wants to kill Kunar residents,” the lawmaker said.

He suggested the government should summon the Pakistani ambassador in Kabul and ask him why Pakistan has been attacking Kunar over the past three years.

Haideri said the Afghan government should not keep mum over the Pakistani aggression and should opt to a tit-for-tat response.

His colleague from central Uruzgan province, Haji Amanullah Haideri, said Pakistan had now turned to airstrikes from its long continued shameless rocket attack into Afghanistan.

He urged President Karzai to allow the Afghan forces to retaliate to Pakistani attacks.

Senator Nisar Ahmad Haris said Pakistan resorted to airstrike because Afghanistan had failed to respond to its rocket attacks. The government should not stay silent and retaliate to the attacks in its capacity, he said.

A number of other senators held similar views. Chairman Fazl Hadi Muslimyar said Afghanistan had been exhibiting extra patience to the Pakistani assaults.

He accused foreign troops stationed in Afghanistan of deliberately not confirming the Pakistani attacks.

“These enemies of us at home in the guise of friends are yet to do something against Pakistan. Even they call news reports about the Pakistani attacks as propaganda.”

Muslimyar said the nation would stand behind the government if it launched counterattacks against Pakistan.

President Karzai held a meeting with US and NATO top commander in Afghanistan Gen. Joseph Dunford and US ambassador James Cunningham last week.

Karzai told the two officials that Pakistan should be asked to explain the attacks before Afghanistan could react.

Dunford and Cunningham assured Karzai that they would take up the issue with Pakistani officials.